In earnest quest of complete rejuvenation and inner peace, people from all nationalities and walks of life came together for a yoga vacation in Cairo. Amira El-Noshokaty spread her blue mat 'With yoga, we teach people how to slow down their rhythm and heighten their sense of beauty; yoga is a way of life' To Mohamed Mahmoud, a medical student, yoga was the key to a healthy lifestyle. Beginning yoga as a means of exercise, Mahmoud soon realised that its breathing techniques are similar to the ones he is studying in anatomy at medical school. During the course of eight months, he read about yoga and practised it, ultimately ridding himself of his chronic back pain and correcting his breathing. A couple of weeks ago, the seven-day Third International Yoga Festival, held in Egypt and Jordan, and focussing on children with special needs, touristic yoga and Arab women, ended with great success. "The word 'yoga' is derived from the Sinsikratian, the ancient language of India, and it means to be one unit, united through balance. It is an art of life that shapes my relationship with my body and my mind, and teaches me how to deal with my emotions," Wafaa Hassanein, secretary of the International Yoga Federation for Egypt and North Africa, told Al-Ahram Weekly. The Arab world is currently undergoing political, economical and psychological instability, yet deep down inside, the people are still wed to their traditional spirit of perfection and harmony, for their land remains the cradle of civilisations and religions, Hassanein opines. "With yoga, we teach people how to slow down their rhythm and heighten their sense of beauty; yoga is a way of life. On a parallel note, Arab women by default have a multitude of daily obligations and yoga helps them release tension through simple exercises that can be done at home or at the office," she said. Despite the lack of supporting research in Egypt, the use of tailored yoga exercises has proven successful in numerous cases of children with special needs. "We are still inserting some yoga programmes on trial bases, in collaboration with academic medical support," Hassanein said. "We combine the yoga philosophy and the medical point of view in devising yoga programmes for children with special needs. One of the key successful ways to communicate with children with special needs is to acknowledge that they are regular children who happen to have a wavelength that is different than ours. We have to acquire the right wavelength to be able to tune in to their lives." According to Hassanein, yoga for children with special needs helps bridge the communication gap between them and their parents. For those who are visually challenged, yoga can teach them how to use and sharpen their other senses and to feel colours through other senses. At the spacious ground floor of the Anas Al-Wogoud Foundation (AAF), children follow their daily routines, such as singing, learning how to walk and carry a tray properly and how to read and write. "AAF is a non-profit organisation that caters for children with special needs and adopts the Montessori system in education," said Nadia Ali, AAF's chairperson and managing-director. The Montessori educational methodology depends on the self-directed activity of the child, stresses on the importance of adapting the child's learning environment in accordance to his/her development level, as well as the role of physical activity in absorbing academic concepts and practical skills. This method was first invented by Italian educator Maria Montessori in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Practised in numerous mainstream elementary schools, this method has done wonders with children with special needs. Ali explained how the system has a lot in common with basic yoga postures that balance body, mind and soul. After having a successful yoga intervention with a student with special needs, Ali is now determined to include yoga in her educational programme, as well as for parents, making AAF the first Egyptian non-profit foundation to adopt the yoga initiative. It is worthy of note that during the course of four years, dozens of children with special needs succeeded in developing their learning abilities and joining mainstream schooling after completing the Montessori classes at AAF. "Children, in general, are fond of yoga because it is a venue for self exploration, freedom and new body postures that they are not accustomed to," Hassanein noted. "The exact history of yoga practice is not clear," explained Ajara Sahoo, a geriatric care and yoga teacher at the Indian Cultural Centre who holds a degree in yoga education and an MA in yoga psychology. "However, some documents go back to the early 2700 BC in the Eastern world." Sahoo explained how ancient yogis who lived a strict and disciplined lifestyle used to base their learning on nature's wisdom. Yogis often took their postures from animals. However, yoga techniques were kept secret, only passed down from mentor to disciple by word of mouth and were never written down until 200 BC, at the hands of Patanjali, who confided the yoga teachings into 196 short aphorisms or sutras. "Yoga is an ancient cultural heritage of India and is one of the most brilliant systems of self expression. It is a practical science of physical, mental and emotional progress. Now even the World Health Organisation has defined human health as being physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, which is in accordance to the yoga perspective," said Sahoo. Patanjali defined eight stages of astanga yoga. Yama and niyam are moral disciplines related to our moral health so that our attitude and behaviours are harmonious and balanced, asana and pranayama are related to our physical health, teaching proper breathing and postures through which we remove the blockages and imbalance from our body and brain, prathyahara and dharana are for concentration and relaxation of the brain, giving us mental and emotional health. Dhayana, or meditation, along with samadhi, the advanced state of meditation, provide us with spiritual health and well- being. Today, yoga is being practised by hundreds of thousands around the world and Egypt is no exception. At the Indian Cultural Centre in Cairo, people were lying stretched with their backs on the famous blue yoga mats scattered on the floor in a "relaxing posture". Leaving their shoes and worries behind, they slowly start the journey of self realisation and acceptance that clarity of mind generates. To Siham Sabri, a young gynaecologist who had just started practising Yoga, the experience was great. "I have a hectic lifestyle, between the hospital, the clinic and my studies. I am constantly stressed and very edgy. Yoga helped me relax, focus and sleep deeply even if it's for a few hours," she told the Weekly. To housewife Mary Sedqi, yoga has been the answer for the past four years. "Yoga gave me harmony between my thoughts and actions and also made me more productive, less shy and, most of all, it made me closer to God," she said. We spoke to journalist, Amira Fahmi, who, after going through some hard times in 1995 took on yoga. "I cannot say that yoga solved my problems, but it helped me attain balance and put things into perspective. It also rid me of my breathing allergies," she said. Yoga benefits: Circulation: Blood carries oxygen in the blood and any physical activities like yoga raise the heart rate and increase the circulation of oxygen-rich blood. Yoga also boosts oxygenated blood circulation to often neglected areas of the body, such as the joints, connective tissues and internal organs. Detoxification: Toxins are all around us in our air, food and water, but fortunately our bodies are designed to get rid of them through skin, breathing and blood. In almost every yoga class you sweat, breathe deeply, your heart rate rises and you massage and stimulate the organs of elimination. Strength and flexibility: Yoga postures strengthen and lengthen the body's connective tissues through physical postures. Stress Relief: A regular yoga practice calms the body and mind, boosts the immune system and eliminates the toxins that stress creates. Breath control: The quality of our breath is directly related to our mental state. When we are upset, the breath tends to be fast and shallow. When we are at ease, it's usually slow and deep. Yoga helps maintain such easiness. Weight loss: As part of an overall healthy lifestyle, yoga is a great way to cleanse the body, increase metabolism, stimulate waste elimination and reduce food craving. source: Ajara Sahoo, PGD Yoga Edu, MA yoga psychology, geriatric care and yoga teacher at the Indian Cultural Centre.
